


Red Like Roses, White Like Snow

by ZaccRiseC3P



Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [2]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bumbleby (mentioned), Cloqwork (mentioned), Developing Relationship, F/F, Iceflower, Other characters make minor appearances - Freeform, Rewrite, SO MUCH FLUFF, Shipping all the ships, White Rose - Freeform, this story is at least 90 percent fluff, uncle oz, we just took our favorite ships and made them canon, why lie?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25811755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZaccRiseC3P/pseuds/ZaccRiseC3P
Summary: Weiss surprised herself when she accepted Ruby's invitation to the Beacon Ball.  Even if they were just going as friends, the heiress wasn't exactly thrilled with the concept.  To her surprise, that one night would change everything.(In short, the White Rose side of a collaborative "make all of our favorite ships canon" AU.)
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: Hard to Find, Hard to Keep, Hard to Forget [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1872730
Kudos: 49





	1. Nights Like These

**Author's Note:**

> This is officially happening. The White Rose portion of an AU that has gotten way out of hand. How did we get here? I'm glad you asked. i was working on a concept for an Uncle Oz AU when my brother started telling me about all of his ideas for a White Rose AU. His idea could essentially be summarized as "what if Weiss and Ruby went to the Beacon Ball together and actually started dating afterwards." For a while, my brother only spoke hypothetically, until I told him that I was already working on a Cloqwork AU. After that, he told me that we should combine them but he wished he could just commission someone to write the White Rose part for him. Luckily for him, his birthday was right around the corner and being the terrible sister I am, I had not gotten him anything yet. So, the first chapter of this fic became his birthday present! No commission necessary! Now we have fallen far down this shipping hole and it seems that we just keep digging.
> 
> Now, while the rest of this part was, in fact, written by my brother (pen name optoprime) I will be posting the whole thing. Simply put, he doesn't have an Ao3 account and he does not want one. So here we are!
> 
> So, without further ado, I present the first chapter of the White Rose portion of our sibling collab, written by me.

Weiss was so upset she didn’t even notice that there was another person in the dorm room. She stormed in, slammed the door behind her, flopped down onto her bed and proceeded to scream into her pillow. It wasn’t the classiest move, but it was how she felt. Weiss was tired of being rejected.

“Weiss? Are you ok?” She heard Ruby ask.

_What a stupid question._

“Does it look like I’m doing ok????” Weiss shouted into the pillow.

“Not really,” Ruby answered hesitantly.

“Then you didn’t have to ask.”

“Wh- What happened?”

Finally, Weiss lifted her head from the pillow. “Neptune rejected me!”

“Really? Why would he do that?” Ruby sounded genuinely surprised, but not necessarily upset.

“I don’t know!” Weiss said, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed. “He didn’t explain why and I didn’t ask! It’s not fair! Everyone else has a date and now I have to go to the ball alone!”

Ruby jumped down from her bunk bed before shyly saying, “You know… I don’t have a date either.”

_What is she about to suggest?_

Rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, Ruby finally asked, “What if we went as friends?”

“As ‘friends’?” Weiss repeated indignantly.

“Yeah, why not? It’s better than going alone…”

Weiss tried to find a flaw in Ruby’s argument, but she couldn’t. Going with anyone would be better than being a lonely wallflower all night, even if that ‘anyone’ was Ruby. Was she really about to agree to this?

“It’s not the worst idea you’ve ever had…” Weiss said, trying to avoid answering directly. 

“Is that a yes?”

She couldn’t avoid it forever. “Alright, fine, it’s a yes.”

“Great! It’s a date!” Ruby started fumbling, “I mean- not a date- it’s, you know, a plan that we have made and uh…”

“Please stop,” Weiss pleaded. “I understand what you were trying to say.”

“Thank you. I don’t know where I was going with that.”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “That makes two of us.”

Not knowing what else to say, Ruby simply smiled before jumping back up to her bed. Before they turned in for the night, Ruby peeked her head over the bed to say one more thing.

“For what it’s worth, I think Neptune made a big mistake.”

A small smile played at Weiss’s lips. She couldn’t help it, and it didn’t go away until she fell asleep.

\----------

Since Weiss was helping organize the ball she arrived about an hour early to set up. The heiress had told Ruby to meet her at exactly seven o’clock. Unsurprisingly, Ruby was fifteen minutes late. Weiss made a mental note to chastise her team leader for her lack of punctuality later.

For the first hour they were there things were a little awkward. Their conversations petered out very easily and they had a hard time finding things they had in common. Eventually, Weiss offered dancing as an option to relieve some of the awkward feelings, but Ruby turned her down, claiming that it wasn’t her thing. To hit the reset button, Weiss made her way over to the snack table to get them something to drink. She hoped that when she returned they’d be able to start a new topic of conversation. Weiss was not expecting to see Ruby talking to Professor Ozpin when she returned. The headmaster left almost as soon as Weiss reached them. A little confused, Weiss asked, “What was that about?” while handing Ruby a glass of punch.

Ruby was suddenly smiling fondly. “Oh, nothing,” she said dreamily.

Weiss waited for Ruby to elaborate- which she did not. Instead, Ruby moved on as if she had fully answered the question, asking Weiss if she’d like to sit at a table. Weiss’s “reset” plan worked. As soon as they sat down they started talking about their teachers, classes, and experiences at Beacon. Now that they started a conversation they couldn’t stop. It shifted from topic to topic, sometimes morphing into outright gossip about fellow classmates. Weiss laughed out loud at least three times at Ruby’s comments. 

They watched happily as they spotted familiar faces on the dance floor. Watching Yang dance made Ruby cringe with second hand embarrassment, but she admitted that it was nice to see her sister having fun. Weiss pretended not to notice when Ruby waved and smiled at Jaune, Ren, and Nora across the dance floor. She wouldn’t have minded waving to Ren and Nora, but the heiress was getting pretty sick of Jaune. What part of “I’m not interested” did that boy not understand?

Eventually, Weiss noticed Ruby scanning the dance floor again. At first she assumed Ruby was just people watching, but suddenly her stare lingered on something- or someone, maybe- just off the dance floor. Weiss couldn’t tell what Ruby was looking at, and before she could ask Ruby jumped up saying, “I’ll be right back.”

“Wait, what?”

Ruby was already walking away as she called out, “This’ll only take a minute, I promise!”

Weiss didn’t audibly object, she only crossed her arms to show her agitation. The only reason she was at the ball with Ruby was because Neptune had rejected her. Being ditched in the middle of the dance wasn’t exactly what Weiss had pictured when she agreed to Ruby’s invitation.

The heiress followed Ruby with her eyes and spotted her disappearing into a back hallway. A few seconds later, Ruby emerged on the second floor balcony of the ballroom. Weiss could see her clear as day from where she sat. 

It took a second for Weiss to realize that Yang was not on the dance floor anymore. Now, her teammate was standing on the same balcony, watching everyone from upstairs. Weiss watched carefully as Ruby approached her sister and the two started talking excitedly. After a particularly emphatic nod from Yang, Ruby hurried off and disappeared again. Expecting her friend to return any minute, Weiss waited impatiently. When a few minutes passed and Ruby failed to reappear, Weiss decided to take matters into her own hands, making her way upstairs and confronting Yang who hadn’t moved throughout the whole ordeal. With no preamble, Weiss demanded, “Yang. Where did your sister run off to?”

“She just stepped out to make a call,” Yang explained.

“A call? Why?”

“She’s just trying to pull off an elaborately thoughtful surprise for our uncle.”

Weiss was prepared to vent her frustrations about being left alone but she backed off when she heard Yang’s answer.

 _Oh, that’s actually really sweet,_ Weiss thought. Taking time out of her night to do something special for others sounded like a very Ruby thing to do. Just then, Ruby’s voice said from behind, “Oh, hey Weiss.” The heiress turned to face her. “Sorry for running out like that. I just had to handle a… family situation. But it’s handled! I will not leave your side for the rest of the ball!”

A smile snuck up on Weiss after the last sentence. Knowing that Ruby would be by her side for the rest of the night already made her feel better.

Despite the early hiccups, Ruby and Weiss were able to salvage the night quite nicely. They stayed on the balcony with Yang for a while, people watching and gossiping about their classmates as if their earlier conversation had never been interrupted. At about 9:30pm, Yang pointed across the ballroom to Blake. She was sitting alone like the wallflower she was. Blake didn’t necessarily look sad, in fact she looked content, but she also looked a little lonely. Yang suggested they meet up with her and “really get the party started.”

The “party” ended up being very subdued. Instead of joining their classmates on the dance floor, Team RWBY sat at a table, talking and laughing for just over half an hour. Weiss hadn’t felt this comfortable with people in- well, she couldn’t remember how long. Had she ever felt this comfortable with anyone? Regardless, she decided she could get used to hanging out with her team, especially if Ruby was there to make jokes and act like a goofball the whole time.

The only thing that ripped the team’s attention away from their own shenanigans was the sound of their classmates giggling around them. They all looked around to see what caused the sudden chorus of laughter. The answer: Jaune Arc had a change in wardrobe. The team watched as Jaune sauntered up to Pyrrha in a dress, causing her to break into a fit of laughter herself.

"Now that is something I was not prepared for!" Yang exclaimed.

They watched with rapt attention as team JNPR broke out into a whole rehearsed dance number. As the dance ended, Ruby clapped and cheered, "That was _awesome_!!!!!"

Yang suggested, “We should go out and join them!”

“Yeah,” Blake agreed, “I wouldn’t mind ending the night with a dance or two.”

“Good luck getting Ruby to join in,” Weiss scoffed.

“I’m not a dancy kinda girl, ok?” Ruby insisted. “You guys go, I’ll happily watch.”

“Come on, sis,” Yang encouraged, “don’t be so boring!”

“Yeah, come with us!” Blake added.

Weiss gasped, “Even Blake is willing to do it!”

At first, Blake was offended. She rolled her eyes at the comment but she did not object. Weiss actually had a point this time, why argue? 

The whole team studied Ruby’s face as she scanned the dance floor, contemplating her decision. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. The choreographed JNPR dance had devolved into a bunch of teenagers jumping around, swinging from side to side, and acting like idiots. Finally, Ruby conceded, “Maybe I could go for one song.”

“That’s a yes!” Yang translated.

The four of them locked hands, creating a chain so as to not lose each other as they navigated the crowd. They found some open space in the center of the dance floor and formed a small circle so they could just dance with each other and ignore everyone else. They took the phrase “dance like nobody's watching” very literally. Nothing was off limits. The team danced during the verses and belted out the chorus. Weiss didn’t even care that everyone was singing out of key, she was just happy to be included in the fun.

When the third energetic pop song faded out, there was a short pause before the next song started. It faded in quietly as a calming, serene melody played through the speakers. A slow song, which was usually accompanied by a slow dance. Weiss looked around and noticed that everyone had already been partnered up. Yang and Blake were sharing this dance, and the only person left was standing right in front of Weiss. She locked eyes with Ruby.

The heiress offered her hand saying, “May I have this dance?”

Ruby’s eyes went wide. “We don’t have to- I mean, I’d love to but I don’t want you to think-”

“Ruby,” Weiss said. “It’s just one dance.”

“Yeah. Right. Just a dance. Ok.”

Ruby accepted Weiss’s offer. Their hands interlocked, Weiss’s right hand holding Ruby’s left. Careful not to make Ruby too uncomfortable, Weiss placed her left hand just above her dance partner’s hip, a little higher than normal. Ruby tentatively placed her right hand on Weiss’s shoulder as the two started swaying back and forth.

“See,” Weiss said. “Not a big deal.”

“Yeah. This is nice.”

Making sure they were still in time with the music, Weiss glanced at their feet for a quick second before returning her gaze to Ruby. Her dance partner had a cute smile on her face. Weiss reciprocated the smile as she started to recall the events of the night. Going as friends was probably the best decision Weiss made. No pressure to be perfect all night when you’re not trying to impress someone, no expectations of how the night will turn out. Just a couple of friends having a good time and enjoying a night off. Even though the first hour or so was awkward, they managed to spend a majority of the night laughing and enjoying themselves. The only hiccup was really when Ruby ditched Weiss at the beginning, but she did have a pretty decent excuse. In fact, that was the only part of the night Weiss could remember being truly upset. As long as Ruby was by her side, she felt like everything was going to be okay.

Wait.

Oh.

_Oh._

_Oh no._

Unable to hide her new revelation, Weiss’s eyes went wide. The heiress had reason to believe that she was also blushing, although that was just an assumption. When she finally forced herself to meet Ruby’s eyes she noticed that her dance partner was blushing as well. Before either of them could say anything, the tone of the music changed dramatically as another upbeat pop song blasted through the speakers. The slow dance was over. They both sheepishly let go of the other and took a step back. Shyly, Ruby finally asked, “Are you uh- are you ready to call it a night?”  
Relieved, Weiss answered, “I think that’d be best.”

They made their way out of the banquet hall and started their trek to the dorms. The school felt eerily quiet with everyone at the ball. After listening to the blasting music for hours, the silence outside was a little jarring. Weiss stole a glance at Ruby as they walked. It was evident that Ruby was lost in her own thoughts, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. That had a tendency to happen. Sometimes Weiss would have to snap in Ruby’s face just to get her to listen. She couldn’t stop herself from continuing to stare at Ruby as they walked. The heiress decided to take a deep breath and initiate a conversation in a surprising way. She absolutely could not believe what she was about to ask.

Before she lost her nerve, Weiss blurted out, “Hey, Ruby, would you like to go to dinner this week?”

Very hesitantly, Ruby clarified, “You mean… like… a team dinner or…”

“No, Ruby,” Weiss sighed. “Just the two of us.”

“Oh! You mean like a date!”

Weiss knew she was blushing again. She had not expected Ruby to be that direct.

“Yes, I suppose it would be a _date_.”

“Weiss,” Ruby said, “I would love to go on a date with you.”

Yet again, Weiss found herself unable to hide a smile. She could honestly say that when she agreed to go to the dance as friends, she did not expect that they would leave with the potential of becoming so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're at all curious as to what the surprise Ruby was planning was, go back and read [Chapter 6](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957/chapters/61026805) of the first work in this series!


	2. Dinner for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss and Ruby are both nervous for their first official date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins. Slow burn who? Don't know her. Here's the first chapter of this fic that was written by optoprime! He's never really gotten into actually writing or sharing his ideas so he's a little nervous. All feedback and comments are appreciated! I promise to pass everything on to the author XD
> 
> (Also, sorry for the tense change between chapters. I prefer past tense, my bro prefers present. From here on out this fic will be in present tense. Ok, enough talk, on with the show.)

Weiss is waiting impatiently out front of Team RWBY’s dorm room. She knew Ruby could be unpunctual, but this is late even for her. She finally sees Ruby arrive and is quick to chastise her actions. “Ruby! We agreed to meet at 7 PM sharp! You told me this wouldn’t happen again after the ball.”

Ruby stammers out her response quickly, “I know, but I got held up in town.”

“Why were you in town?!” Weiss asks, the irritation clearly showing in her tone.

“I needed these!” Ruby excitedly exclaims as she presents a bouquet of red roses to Weiss.

“Oh....” Weiss trails off. She isn’t sure how to respond. She starts blushing as she thanks Ruby, a smile creeping onto her face.

Ruby starts beaming with pride in herself. She knew the flowers were a good idea, if a late one.

The two finally head off, conversation beginning on their way to dinner and continuing as they arrive at the small diner Ruby had picked out. The small talk is relatively usual, with Ruby and Weiss exchanging questions about likes and dislikes, until at dinner Ruby asks why Weiss asked her on the date.

“I don’t know, just, when we were dancing together I...I just knew what I wanted.” Weiss responds, unsure herself. She starts to say more, but Ruby quickly responds.

“And Weiss Schnee always gets what she wants, right?” She laughs at her own joke, and Weiss just smiles back.

“Well not _always_ …” Weiss starts to defend herself, but she’s cut off by Ruby again.

“Well, you certainly did this time!” Ruby laughs again, and Weiss can’t help but feel she’s right.

Dinner is brought out and they joke and laugh as they eat together. Ruby had ordered off the kids menu, which Weiss couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed by. Was she really on a date with this goofball?

As the night went on, Weiss began to realize that was precisely the _reason_ she was on a date with this goofball. She couldn’t help but find every little klutzy gag and silly mistake more charming than the last. _A far cry from the start of the semester_ , she thought to herself.

The night continued with random topics and questions brought up by Ruby, with her eventually launching into a tirade about mixed berries for some reason. Weiss couldn’t stop laughing at how enthusiastic she was about the topic. She decides it’s her favorite part of the night. The topic is not dropped until they arrive back at Beacon.

\-----

As they walk through Beacon’s campus, Ruby still talking about berries, they come across the CCT. Weiss, taking a moment from laughing to breathe, notices guards lying on the ground outside the building. Ruby follows her eye line and sees the guards as well, and her mood immediately shifts a hundred-eighty degrees.

“Uh...that looks bad,” Ruby says, dismayed by what they’re both seeing.

“Well...maybe they’re just sleeping on the job. We don’t have to ruin our night with this, right Ruby?” Weiss is trying to convince herself as much as she is Ruby.

“We should check it out. Someone doesn’t want anyone to know what they’re doing in there,” Ruby says, determination in her voice.

Weiss knows better than to argue the point. If Ruby is worried, she’ll help, regardless of whether or not Weiss approves. She couldn’t help but admire that.

They call on their weapons and proceed inside cautiously, noting the state of the knocked out guard detail. At least, the two hope they’re just knocked out. Not seeing anyone else, the pair board the elevator and make their way further up the tower.

They arrive at the top of the tower to an empty communications room.

“Hello?” Ruby shouts.

“Ruby! Do you _want_ them to know we’re here?” Weiss quietly interjects, hoping that hadn’t given them away.

Weiss realizes quickly that it had, as a strange woman in black stands up near the center of the room, having been hidden behind one of the computer desks. She’s wearing a mask, and it’s quite clear she didn’t plan on being joined tonight.

Ruby immediately addresses her, “Hey, you’ve been caught! Why don’t you take off that mask so we can settle this--”

She’s cut off by the woman attacking her with ice dust from a device she grabs on her hip. Weiss grabs Myrtenaster and fires back at the woman, and Ruby takes Crescent Rose and launches an attack of her own. The woman jumps back and produces her own weapon, a pair of blades she forms into a bow. She constructs a few arrows out of seemingly nothing, with her clothes glowing a bright red as she does so. She fires the arrows at the pair, and as they dodge the elevator door opens to reveal General Ironwood.

Ruby and Weiss turn to look at the new arrival, surprised to see the General, and when they turn back the strange woman is nowhere to be seen. Ironwood seems upset.

“Well, this seems like quite the mess,” the Atlesian General asserts.

“General Ironwood?” Weiss asks, “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you girls that,” Ironwood says, deflecting the question, “Do you know who that was?”

Ruby starts to explain, “No, we saw the guards outside and got worried so--”

“We can talk about your actions tomorrow,” the General responds, cutting her off, “but for now, you should both return to your rooms.”

Ruby and Weiss are escorted out of the CCT, questions still racing in their minds. They try to get back to where they left off before they get back to the dorm, but eventually they both fall into silence until they reach their room.

“Well, that was...certainly an interesting evening,” Weiss says, trying to break the tension.

Ruby responds this time, finally not lost in her own thoughts, “Yeah, wasn’t expecting it to get so exciting at the end. Sorry for dragging you into that, Weiss.”

“It’s fine, Ruby,” Weiss assures her. She understood that after tonight, she may have to get used to Ruby playing the hero.

There’s an awkward silence that isn’t broken for several moments.

Ruby finally breaks it, “Sooooo...do we kiss now or something? Like, I know in the movies this is where the hero kisses the princess, and I do want to kiss you, but I don’t know if I should ask or how I bring this up or ifI’mtheprincessortheheroandwhetherIshouldjust--”

Weiss cuts her off by kissing her.

Ruby leans into the kiss and has completely stopped talking after Weiss pulls away.

“So that’s where the off button is,” Weiss jokes.

Ruby is still too lovestruck to respond, she has a big smile on her face and her cheeks are the same color as her hood.

Weiss smiles at her and asks, “So, same time next week?”

Ruby shakes herself out of her stupor enough to respond, “Y-yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“Good. And don’t be late this time, okay?”

Weiss smiles as she adds the admonishing point, and Ruby just nods her head. _Tonight was nice,_ Weiss thinks to herself. _But more would be even nicer,_ she adds, as the two open the door and conclude their night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because of the way we changed the night of the ball we had to improvise the timeline. If you're curious how the conversation after the encounter with Cinder changes jump back to [Chapter 7](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957/chapters/61297432#workskin) of part 1 of this series XD
> 
> Have a great week, everyone! Stay safe!


	3. When One Door Closes...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team RWBY has to improvise their summer plans when Blake and Weiss have no where to stay over break.

The team has convened in their room the week before summer vacation. The girls’ discussion eventually lands on the teams’ plans over break. Of course, Ruby and Yang were very excited to be with their father over break. Hearing them talk about how much they planned on enjoying themselves made Weiss nervous to say she didn’t know what her plans were, but hiding that soon proved to be impossible.

“So Weiss, you headed back to Atlas for the summer?” Yang asked suddenly, breaking from her discussion with Ruby.

Weiss takes a moment to respond, hesitant to explain herself, “Well…no, actually…” she trails off, unsure of how to tell the group about her abusive father, and the fact she wished not to go back to him.

“Really? Where’re you going then? Do you have a place to stay in Vale?” Ruby asked.

“No. I didn’t plan for going back or for staying here. I know the school offers a plan for staying in your dorm over break, but I don’t know... All I know is, I’m not going back to my father.” There’s a ping of irritation in Weiss’ voice. The team picks up on it.

Yang speaks up first, “Oof. Well if you aren’t sure about staying here, is there anywhere else you have to go?” 

Ruby gasps and a big smile spreads across her face. “You could stay with me and Yang! Our place in Patch has enough space for all of us!”

Weiss is quick with her response. “Oh no, I can’t intrude on your family like that. Plus,” she looks at Ruby, “don’t you think us living together would be weird?”

Yang lets out a small chuckle, “Weiss, you’ve already been doing that for the past _two weeks._ ”

 _That’s...true, actually,_ Weiss thinks to herself. She’ll never say that out loud though. Can’t let Yang having a good idea go to her head.

“Not to intrude more but...I actually also wasn’t sure where I was going this summer…” Blake trails off, the implication of her question clear to the others.

Ruby gasps even louder, her face lighting up with glee, “It’ll be like we’re still at Beacon! We can hang out, and go into town, and doallkindsofcoolthingsandkeeptrainingand--” 

Weiss manages to pipe up over Ruby, “Don’t worry, I can get her to stop.” She pops up to Ruby’s bunk and gives her a quick kiss.

Ruby’s face goes bright red and she stops talking completely, with a look like she was just given some kind of drug.

“Well, it does seem to make sense...and it would save me and Weiss from having to rent somewhere in Vale,” Blake says, seeing her opening.

Weiss thinks for a second, “I guess that is my only other option isn’t it…”

“So it’s settled then?” Yang suggests.

Ruby, having recovered from her state of infatuation, proclaims, “Yes! Team RWBY together for the summer!”

\--------------

Tai Xiao-Long stands in his living room, anxiously expecting his daughters home from school soon. He’s been looking forward to spending some time with them for a while. He didn’t think being an empty nester would be so hard, but here he was, pacing back and forth awaiting his daughters’ arrival. The doorbell finally rings after what feels like ages, and he excitedly goes to greet the girls.

As he opens the door, Tai begins to ask, “Hey girls, how was your time at--” the door now opens fully revealing Blake and Weiss next to Ruby and Yang “--Beacon?”

Tai’s confusion is clear in his next statement. “Ruby. Yang. Who are your friends? And why are they here?”

“Ugh...did Ruby not tell you?” Yang asks, irritation in her voice. “Ruby! You were supposed to ask him!”

“Oh my god! I got so excited I must have forgot! Then the whole thing with Oobleck and Mountain Glenn--”

“Ruby!” Weiss interrjects. “I’m so sorry Mr. Xiao-Long. I’m Weiss Schnee and--”

Tai cuts her off, “Wait...Schnee as in the dust company?” The gears begin turning in his head. “Wait… so does that mean you’re…?” he looks to Blake.

“Blake. Belladonna. We’re Ruby and Yang’s teammates.”

“Well, at least that clears that up. So, Ruby, what were you supposed to tell me about your teammates coming to visit?”

Ruby, sheepishly asks the question that should have been asked a week ago. “Well, they didn’t have anywhere to stay over the summer, since they can’t go home, and they didn’t want to stay at Beacon a  
alone, so I was kiiiinda hoping they could stay with us?”

Tai sighs, “Fine, if they really have nowhere else to go they can stay here.”

As the girls walk in he notices Weiss and Ruby holding hands. Clearly, he was going to have to lay down some ground rules. He was also hesitant about the fact that Ruby was hand in hand with the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, but that could wait. Then he notices Blake and Yang walk in together. They’re not too close physically, but Tai recognizes the way Yang looks at Blake. At least Yang’s propensity for dating he was used to by now.

“So, where’s everyone staying then?” Tai asks. “We have one extra room, and Ruby and Yang’s rooms are big enough for two.”

Yang pipes up first, “Well, Blake could just stay with me.” The looks she gives Blake and the blush Blake responds with tells Tai all he needs to know.

Tai lets out a long sigh, “Fine. You two can stay together. Now, _you two_ on the other hand...” he trails off as his eyes move to Ruby and Weiss, who have separated a bit.

“Awww, why?” Ruby asks.

Weiss indignantly adds, “Yeah, how come Yang and Blake get to stay together and we don’t?”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you two were holding hands when you walked in. I won’t have you two staying up all night.” He stares Weiss down, “Or doing anything I wouldn’t approve of.”

Weiss looks a little shocked, but soon seems more angry that he would suggest she would do anything of the sort. Maybe he’s misjudged her, but he’d rather be careful and wrong than careless and right regarding her intentions for Ruby.

Ruby ignores the last line of Tai’s argument, and the stare down he and Weiss are having, and blurts out, “But Yang and Blake are dating!”

Tai looks over to Yang, who seems upset she was called out, until Tai makes it clear he had figured that out.

“I could tell. But I know she’ll just break the rule anyway, so I won’t bother,” he says matter-of-factly. “But you, on the other hand, I can still control.”

Weiss gets even more indignant at that last statement. It’s clear she’s quite upset. Ruby just looks to the floor, dejected and defeated. 

_Maybe it couldn’t hurt to give them a little more freedom,_ Tai can’t help but think, _Then again, I can’t be sure with that Schnee…_

He decides to maintain the ruling he’s made, at least until he can get a better read on Weiss. _This’ll certainly be an interesting summer, that’s for sure…_ The thought trails off as he’s left alone for what will be the last quiet moment of Tai’s summer.

\------------------

The summer passes with the team enjoying each other’s company. They spend their time going into Vale and occasionally spending long nights asking each other questions from the mundane to the absurd. As the summer comes to a close the girls meet up in Ruby’s room for one last round of the Question Game before they go back to school.

Ruby shouts with the enthusiasm of a game show host, “To begin. What was your favorite moment of this summer? WEISS - GO!”

Weiss, taken aback by the sudden callout, responds,“What, why me first? I thought Yang usually went first.”

“I wanna hear your answer, now what was iiiitt?” Ruby excitedly proclaims.

“Well...I’m kinda embarrassed to say in front of Blake and Yang…” Weiss sheepishly says.

Ruby, even more excited, gasps with delighted surprise, “Does that mean what I think it means?! Tell the story Weiss! Tell it, tell it, tellittellittellit---”

“Fine, Ruby, I’ll tell it,” she takes a deep breath and tries to stop herself from blushing, “So, last week Ruby and I were watching TV in her room…”

Ruby was clutching Weiss in bed, and Weiss had her arm around Ruby. They were watching something on Ruby’s scroll when Weiss asked an odd question.

“Ruby, when did you know you liked me?”

“Where’d that come from?” Ruby inquires.

“I’m just curious, did you know when you asked me to the dance?”

“Well, kinda? I don’t know...I just know I was kinda sad when you said you were asking Neptune, and I didn’t know why.”

“Aw, Ruby...wait, then when we went on that mission a few weeks before the dance, did you keep me from going with Neptune on purpose?!”

Ruby giggles lightly and responds, “A li-ttle. I just...wanted you to myself…”

Weiss just sighs with exasperation, “You’re lucky I love you, you little dork.”

“Aww, I love you too, Weiss.”

It took a moment before the gravity of the last two sentences struck Weiss. As it did, her eyes went wide and she started uncontrollably blushing as she turned to Ruby, who had closed her eyes and started to hug her a little tighter.

Weiss finally let herself ask, “Ruby, did we just--?

“Shhhhh, Weiss, just enjoy the moment,” Ruby cut her off.

Weiss just sat there, happier than she ever had been before. She really did love this little goof.

“So, yeah. That happened,” Weiss finished. She was blushing hard.

“Awwwwww, that’s SOOO cute,” Yang shouts with excitement. “My baby sister’s in love!”

“I’m not your _baby sister_ anymore Yang…” Ruby responds, irritation in her voice.

“Well, yeah, especially not now!”

“Well, I think it’s sweet that you two are so close.” Blake comments.

Weiss says, “Thank you, Blake.”

Ruby now points the attention away from her and Weiss,“So Blake, what was your favorite moment this summer?”

“I don’t know, these question nights have been pretty nice. It’s been fun just spending time with you guys.”

“Awww. Permission to cuddle?” Yang asks.

Blake, affectionately exasperated, responds with, “Get over here, Yang.”

“Yay!” She goes over to Blake’s bed and they start cuddling for the rest of the night.

Ruby moves her question to the next member of the team,“So Yang, what was your part of the summer?”

“Oh, I think mine was when Weiss and Blake got to meet _Uncle_ Oz,” Yang responds.

Blake chimes in, “That was an interesting night.”

“Ozpin’s a very... _different_ person when he’s not working,” Weiss adds.

“I’m glad you got to that side of him too,” Ruby pauses. “But! I’m more happy about Weiss and I encountering him and Qrow on a _date_ ,” Ruby announces, her face filled with glee that she’d kept the story quiet until the moment was right.

Weiss quickly interjects, “How is that awkward mess your favorite moment of the summer?!”

“Aw, come on, Weiss, it was so neat being on a double date with my uncles!” Ruby responds.

Yang, still in shock, asks for confirmation, “Wait, you went on a what with who?”

“Well that’s certainly an interesting way to introduce Weiss to your uncle, I guess,” Blake comments.

“Tell. Me. _Everything_ ,” Yang insists.

Ruby regales the tale of the double date with Qrow and Oz, sparing no detail. Yang is enthralled by the entire story, while Weiss tries sticking her head under her pillow until the awkwardness subsides.

Tai walks in as Ruby finishes the story, just in time to catch the girls’ attention.

Tai begins being a dad as soon as he walks in. “Alright, it’s getting pretty late, and you girls are getting pretty--”

Ruby cuts him off, “Oh, Dad! What’s been your favorite part of the summer?”

“What? Where’d that come from?”

Yang piles onto the question, “We’ve been going over everyone’s favorites all night. So, come on, what’s yours, Dad?”

Tai’s mind immediately wanders to a very specific memory from a few weeks ago...

He was walking down the hall late at night when he overheard Weiss and Ruby, who were still in Ruby’s room together. It was near bedtime, and he went to chastise them but stopped as he saw them through the doorway. He noticed the girls cuddling in bed and was about to be upset when they just...looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. Tai’s heart melted. He knew that look all too well. It’s the look he and Summer used to share, all those years ago. He couldn’t break that up, not even for such a small time. He left them be, content with the knowledge that Ruby had found someone who really makes her happy...even if that person is a Schnee.

Tai comes to, and isn’t sure how to put this story into words...and he kind of doesn’t want to. Embarrassed that his answer is ‘when he realized his daughter was in love,’ he gives a different answer instead.

“Just knowing you girls get along so well has been enough for me this summer.”

Ruby gushes, “Awww, Daaad.”

“However, your little bonding session tonight has gotten pretty loud. It’s time for bed.”

There’s collective complaints from the group as they leave Ruby’s room and head off to bed. As Ruby falls asleep, she feels as if her best summer ever has finally come to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have guessed, the double date story Ruby tells is told in explicit detail in part one of this series. If you want to skip to it, it is [Chapter 8](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957/chapters/61900471#workskin) of the story "Bad Luck and a Broken Clock." Optoprime and I wrote it together and we were very proud of it if I do say so myself.
> 
> Anyway, we hope you enjoyed this chapter! All feedback is appreciated! As always, I promise to pass on any comments to the author so don't hesitate to leave one! Thank you for reading and stay safe XD


	4. The Fate of the Ones We Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Vytal Festival has come to Vale, and nobody could've guessed how the week would unfold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Yes! We are still alive and we are still thinking about this story. This AU lives in both of our heads RENT FREE and we finally got around to continuing this specific piece of it! Unfortunately, my brother has decided that he is more of an "ideas man" rather than a true writer, so I will be taking over this story from here! I apologize for the constant flip flopping of styles due to this change XD
> 
> Anyway, we are very excited to _finally _get to share the White Rose half of our edited version of the Fall of Beacon. We hope you enjoy :)__

“I hope your accommodations are…” Winter’s words faded as she stepped foot into a disheveled dorm room. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Posters and art hung haphazardly on the wall, curtains that had been sliced in half and sloppily sewn back together, and two beds precariously elevated to emulate that of a child’s bedroom.

“Weiss,” Winter stopped. “What is this?”

“This is our room,” Weiss shrugged. “We made bunk beds. It was Ruby’s idea.”

Winter recoiled at the phrase, unable to comprehend what her sister was telling her. When she was greeted by her little sister outside of Beacon’s entrance she was expecting at least some semblance of decency from the institution and it’s students. Clearly she was mistaken. “This was your team leader’s idea?” she clarified, a tone of disgust coating her words. “And you decided to just blindly follow this childish nonsense?”

“Well, we did put it to a vote. I got outvoted three to one…”

“The other members of your team agreed to this?”

“I was surprised too, at first. But, honestly, I think it’s kinda neat. It’s efficient use of space and-”

“It’s also dangerous and reckless. What if one of those books is moved in the night? Come to think of it, what are those ropes even tied t--?”

“Weiss,” A high-pitched voice from just outside the dorm prompted. A small girl in a red hood and black combat gear peaked her head in as she asked, “What time was our reservation for tonight? I want to be sure I’m ready this--” noticing the older Schnee, Ruby cut herself off as she stepped into the room. “Oh, uh, hi. Sorry, I thought Weiss was the only one up here.”

Winter’s eyes narrowed. Too much had been said for her not to ask, “Why are you asking Weiss about a dinner reservation? Is the team going out to celebrate?”

Weiss hesitated for a moment, unable to meet her sister’s gaze as she formulated an answer. She slowly looked up as she found the words. “Yeah... We’re just excited to be in the festival, that's all!” she laughed nervously.

A stern but amused expression covered Winter’s face. “Weiss, don’t lie to me.”

Weiss let out a heavy sigh. Lying to Winter was a fruitless effort. “Fine. We’re dating. It’s date night tonight and we’re going out. Are you happy?”

Winter’s gaze shifted to Ruby before falling on Weiss again. Her lips curled into a coy smile. “Are you?”

It took Weiss a moment to respond. Not only was Winter okay with this development, but she seemed genuinely interested in how it made Weiss feel. The heiress could feel her cheeks burning as she recovered. She caught Ruby’s eye as she confidently answered, “Yes. Yes I am.”

Looking at her girlfriend now, Weiss could see the puzzled look on Ruby’s face. The gears in her head were turning. 

_Did I say something wrong?_ Weiss wondered.

A loud, high-pitched ringtone jolted Weiss out of her train of thought. 

“Oh, it seems I’m needed by the General,” Winter announced half-heartedly as she looked at her scroll. “I’ll have to leave you two to your day. I’ll see you later, Weiss.” Winter hastily made her exit, leaving Weiss and Ruby alone. When Weiss turned her attention back to her partner, Ruby’s expression of confusion had morphed into one of anguish.

“Weiss…” Ruby prompted shyly. “Why didn’t you want to tell her we were dating?”

“What? What do you mean?” Weiss asked, genuine confusion lacing her tone.

“When Winter asked why we had reservations… you lied at first. Why?”

“I…” Weiss choked. Why _did_ she lie? “I just wasn’t sure how Winter might react, is all.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby’s silver eyes glistened with the pain of a realization. “Weiss… are you embarrassed by me?”

“What? No, Ruby. It’s just… my family is really strict and you’re… _you_.”

“What does that mean? Am I too childish for a Schnee?”

Weiss paused for a moment- apparently, it was a moment too long.

“Whatever,” Ruby huffed. “I’m going down to the fairgrounds with Yang.”

“Ruby, wait!” The door slammed shut as Weiss reached a hand out. Her hand slowly dropped as she whispered, “I’m sorry…”

~~~~~~~~~~

Weiss couldn’t think about anything else for the rest of the day. The look in Ruby’s eyes, the pain in her voice, the defeated way she gave up on the conversation and stormed out- it all played on repeat in Weiss’ head.

_Are you embarrassed by me?_

The fact that Weiss didn’t just immediately say “no” when Ruby posed the question haunted the heiress like a ghost. She was so out of it that Blake couldn’t help but notice.

As the Faunus and the heiress casually strolled through the fair grounds, Blake found herself asking for more details. “So what did you do?”

“I just…” Weiss paused. “I got worried what my sister would think and lied about what me and Ruby were doing tonight. Then Winter left and Ruby got upset with me…”

“Yeah, because she thought you were embarrassed by her, Weiss,” Blake stated bluntly.

“I know. That’s what she said, too. I just… didn’t know how to tell her I wasn’t. Then she stormed out before I could say sorry, and we haven’t seen each other since,” Weiss’s voice trailed off as her gaze shifted to the ground.

“Well, then why don’t you just apologize? You could go see her anytime, you know.”

“You’re right. It’s just… what if she doesn’t like me anymore? What if she just sees the stuck up rich girl who was embarrassed by her last year?”

“Then you show her that’s not true. Have her meet your family or something, show her you’re serious. She was excited to have you meet her dad, and you wouldn’t have even let your sister know you two are dating.”

“Well...that might be a bit difficult, my family situation is a bit complicated---”

The conversation was cut off by a blaring alarm. Every scroll in the area was buzzing and blinking bright red. They interrupted their talk to check what was going on. A strange female voice echoed through all of the devices around them. The pair only had a second to process what they were hearing as growls and screeches filled the air.

The Grimm.

The voice cut out and their scroll screens returned to normal. Weiss’s concern shifted from “Will Ruby ever forgive me?” to “Will I ever see Ruby again?” in a heartbeat. Suddenly their silly little fight didn’t seem to matter much.

“Wait, was that Penny?!” Blake wondered, finally processing what they just witnessed.

Weiss nodded, “Ruby was watching her and Pyrrha’s match…”

“Yang’s still at our dorm.”

They exchanged a simple nod, no words needed. The huntresses-in-training split up to find their girlfriends. The school was under attack. The drama could wait.

~~~~~~~~~~

A wave of relief washed over Ruby as she approached the group of students awaiting transport out of the school. She ran up to Weiss, their dispute before the chaos completely forgotten for a moment as they embraced, holding each other tight.

_Thank gods, she’s ok._

“Ruby!” Weiss exclaimed as they hugged.

“Oh! I’m so glad I found you!”

They let go as Weiss asked, “Ruby! Where did you-”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine!” Ruby promised. “What’s going on?”

There was a bout of silence, Weiss refusing to meet Ruby’s eyes before answering.

“Weiss?” Ruby repeated. “What is it?”

No audible response was given. Weiss simply stepped aside to reveal the state of the rest of their team. Ruby recoiled in horror, her eyes going wide as she processed the scene in front of her. Ren and Nora were on their knees, so exhausted they could barely stand. Yang and Blake were both lying on their sides, Blake clutching at her abdomen while Yang… oh gods. Was Yang missing an arm?

Ruby couldn’t even respond as she watched Blake reach out and grab Yang’s hand. “I’m sorry…” the Faunus pleaded as a tear formed in the pit of her eye. “I’m _so_ sorry.”

“Yang…” was all Ruby could manage.

“Hey,” a voice interrupted. Sun approached the two girls, reassuring them, “She’s gonna be okay. The soldiers have a ship ready to take you guys to Vale.”

Nora interjected, “But Jaune and Pyrrha are still missing! They ran off with Professor Ozpin and we haven’t seen them since!” She grunted in pain as her voice faded out. Even that sentence expended too much energy.

“What?!” Ruby snapped.

“Look, guys!” Sun asserted. “That giant Grimm is still circling the school! Even the White Fang is pulling out! We all have to go, _now_!”

Ren tried to stand up as he said, “We’re not… leaving…” he crumbled back to his knees as his words dissipated. It was no use.

The fear reflected in everyone’s eyes was enough to make them all surrender. What more could they do? They didn’t know where Pyrrha and Jaune were, and even if they did there was no guarantee they could save them. But Ruby would be damned if she sat back and did nothing.

“I’ll find them…” Ruby swore. “I’ll find them, and I’ll bring them back.”

“No!” Weiss corrected, “ _We_ will find them. Watch after Blake and Yang. We’ll be right back.”

Before anyone could object, the couple raced off, determined to bring their friends back safely. But they didn’t anticipate the obstacle that would be thrown in their path.  
As they approached Beacon Tower, the giant Wyvern that circled the school interpreted their approach as a threat. The Grimm beared down on them, landing in front of the tower with a screech so beastly it made Ruby’s blood run cold for a second. The monster wanted the girls to know that it was in charge now.

Both fighters decide wordlessly that their only choice if they want to keep going is to fight it. Ruby was determined to keep going, and Weiss knew better than to argue. It wasn’t worth the energy.

Weiss took aim with her sword and fired a few ice dust blasts as the monster’s side. It roared with irritation as the crystals bounced off the black skin without leaving a mark. While the beast was distracted, Ruby tried to run behind it, attacking the most vulnerable part first. Her effort was to no avail. She didn’t even get one hit in before she was met with the full force of a tail swing to the chest, launching her across the courtyard. A grunt escaped her lips as she skidded across the ground.

 _Maybe we’re in over our heads…_ Ruby lamented. But she couldn’t give up now.

The Wyvern gave its full attention to Weiss, charging at her as it decided she was the biggest threat. Using the Grimm’s size to her advantage, Weiss was easily able to side-step the charging behemoth and rush over to Ruby before the beast could realize what had happened. It slowly turned its head, it’s eyes honing in on its targets.

Suddenly, a voice echoed out from behind them.

“Ruby! Weiss!”

Thank the gods! It was Jaune and Pyrrha emerging from the tower. They were okay! That was one less thing to worry about, but based on what Nora said, there was one person missing.

“What’s happening in there? Where’s Uncle Oz?” Ruby asked quickly.

“Uncle… what?” Jaune shook his head. There was no time to dwell on the familial title. “Nevermind,” he said, “him and Qrow are holding off some crazy lady inside.”

“What?!” Ruby squealed. “We have to help them!”

“Trust me, we’d just get in their way,” he panted, clearly exhausted. Whatever had happened when Jaune and Pyrrha disappeared had taken a toll on them.  
Jaune looked up and saw the Wyvern staring them down. “Right now we have a bigger problem on our hands!”

The beast roared, a pillar of flames lighting up the night sky as it’s growl filled the otherwise empty courtyard. It lowered its head, its eyes narrowing yet again on the students in front of it. It waited patiently as the team talked as if to say, “Go ahead. Your move.”

“Right,” Weiss agreed, “but me and Ruby weren’t even able to scratch it! What do we do against something like this?”

“We can do this if we work together, I know it,” Pyrrha encouraged. “Jaune, do you have any ideas?”

Jaune stroked his chin. “Maybe…” he hesitated. “Pyrrha, can you do anything with whatever that thing with your eye was? Ozpin mentioned you had half of some kind of power?”

“I don’t think I can…” Pyrrha admitted. “I tried calling on it while we were in the vault. I think someone needs all of it before they can use it.”

“Then we’ll just have to do this the hard way…” Jaune looked to Ruby. “You and Pyrrha head in opposite directions, try to flank it. Me and Weiss will distract it from up front.”

“We already tried that, and all I got was a tail to the face!” Ruby explained.

“It might be able to split it’s attention against two, but it only has so many attack options,” Jaune analyzed. “If we all attack from different angles we’re bound to create a blind spot somewhere.”

“Alright, it’s better than nothing. Let’s go!”

The pairs split off, Ruby and Pyrrha heading for the beast’s tail while Jaune and Weiss maneuvered towards its head. Immediately, the monster set its sights on the girls in red, but its attention was ripped away when Weiss started firing more ice dust at its face. The Ice Princess was really starting to get on the monster’s nerves. 

Jaune quickly closed in from the other side, slicing at the beast’s head from underneath. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else Jaune could do, and the Wyvern only found the chin cuts to be a mild irritation. 

However, the distraction worked, if only for a moment. Ruby was able to climb onto the Grimm’s back with no problem. With one huge swing of her scythe, she was able to slice the beast’s left wing clean off. The monster reared up and screeched in pain. Ruby was able to keep her balance and stay on the beast’s back as Pyrrha mounted her own attack. 

The prodigy cut and stabbed and swung at the dark black tail, trying to eliminate another one of the monster’s attack options, but her efforts weren’t fast enough. Fed up with being attacked by the pesky children before it, the Wyvern lashed out, flailing its head and sending Jaune soaring through the air, his aura shattering on impact. He slammed into Weiss, both future huntsmen landing in a heap on the concrete ground. Neither of them moved.

“Jaune!” Pyrrha cried. The split second she looked away was long enough for the Grimm to sweep her away with its tail, the force launching her all the way to the front of the tower.

As Ruby attempted to remove the second wing, the Wyvern bucked her off. She landed with a thud a few feet from where Pyrrha was now slowly getting to her feet. Still in a daze, Ruby managed to stand and take stock of her surroundings. The monster was now bearing down on Weiss and Jaune, ready to gobble up the vulnerable prey that lay unprotected.

Ruby’s breath hitched and her eyes went wide. She would not let this be the end.

“I won’t let you take Weiss from me!” Ruby shouted with all the energy she had left.

Silver light poured out of her eyes, the only thought filling her mind that of protecting the person she cared about most. The last thing she heard was the sound of the Wyvern’s broken screech- a cry of defeat. Then everything went dark.

***

Weiss came to, jolted from her unconscious state by the feral screech that ripped through the air. When she finally gained her bearings again, Jaune shook off the haze and awkwardly got up, dusting himself off. The heiress’ head pounded, her breath was heavy. She was exhausted. Looking around, she saw Pyrrha standing, staring in horror at the Wyvern but it looked… different. It was frozen in grey stone, frozen as if it was about to attack… 

“RUBY!” Panic filled Weiss’ mind as she rushed to Ruby’s side, the headache pounding in her ears fading into the background as she fell to her knees next to her girlfriend. Immediately, she checked if Ruby was still breathing. “Please...please...please…” Tears swelled in her eyes as she imagined the unthinkable. What if Ruby was gone? The thought subsided when she finally found Ruby’s pulse and noticed the rise and fall of her chest. She lifted Ruby up, cradling her and holding her tightly as she looked up at the massive stone Grimm now staring her down.

 _What… what did Ruby just_ do _?_ was all she could think.

As Weiss tried to figure out what was going on, her gaze shifted to Pyrrha and Jaune.

_Are Pyrrha’s eyes...glowing?_

***

Pyrrha could only watch in awe as Weiss rushed to Ruby’s side. No one was really sure what the young huntress-in-training had just done. The Wyvern was frozen. How?

Jaune wasted no time, rushing to Pyrrha’s side as soon as he regained his wits. He was barely able to ask if she was okay before he stopped himself. “Pyrrha! Pyrrha have you noticed your eyes are-”

“Glowing, I know. I felt some kind of… intense energy when that flash happened. I thought it was just the light, but I kept feeling it after it was gone.” For a moment, she looked at her hands, as if they were the source of this new energy. “So this is what a Maiden’s power feels like...”

“Uh...Pyrrha,” Jaune prompted gently. “Do you think you can use that power now? As in right now?”

Believing the fight had been won, Pyrrha started, “Why would I need to…?” but her question died on her lips as she noticed the cracks starting to form. Black spots of the Wyvern’s back were already visible through the breaking stone.

“Oh…” the new maiden hesitated. “Jaune, I don’t know---”

“Pyrrha, you have to be able to do _something_!”

“I’m not sure if I can!” she cried in response.

“Pyrrha, you _have to_. We’re out of options!”

“I don’t even know how these powers work! What if someone gets hurt?!”

“Ms. Nikos!” 

Pyrrha turned, shocked to find her headmaster was the source of the call. “We chose you for a reason,” Ozpin continued. Pyrrha could barely focus on the professor’s words as she processed the fact that he and Qrow had made it out of the vault _alive_. Although Ozpin looked like he had seen better days. The man was doubled over, barely able to stand, most of his weight being supported by Qrow. His words came out as if each one took great effort to form. “I believe now more than ever that we made the right decision. I know you can do this. You have to.”

His sudden emergence from the tower aside, Pyrrha knew Ozpin was right. She had to save her friends. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her task became apparent. The Wyvern wasn’t going to stay trapped forever. They were running out of time.

The huntress-in-training took a deep breath before turning around and approaching the monstrosity that stood before her. As she planted herself in front of her target, Pyrrha looked inward for a way to summon her newly acquired power. She concentrated on the foreign energy inside of her, and attempted to focus on pushing it outward, until an orb of flames started spinning rapidly around her, the wind started to pick up and her hair became stiff from the force. She stretched one hand out in front of her and took aim at the Grimm who wreaked so much havoc on the school. Her hand started to glow as she tried to focus the outpouring energy into one spot. As if through instinct, she thrusted her hand forward, causing all of the energy to release at once. The new maiden felt the intense heat as a wave of flames larger than her target engulfed everything in its path. The wyvern screamed, a deafening roar filling the air as it slowly burned to a crisp. After a moment, all that remained was rubble and ash.

As the flames died down, her body finally realized just how much energy it spent. Her knees started to shake and buckle until they finally gave out. Jaune was able to catch her just before she collapsed onto the ground. She definitely had not intended to spend all of her power with just one attack, but the important thing was that her friends were safe. She smiled lightly, beaming with pride.

_This was my destiny._

And then her vision went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Optoprime and I lovingly refer to this chapter as "The Chapter Where the Gays Save the World" and honestly? Where's the lie?
> 
> If you are curious _how_ Pyrrha got the Maiden powers and why Qrow was in the vault, too, check out [Chapter 9](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24565957/chapters/62888101) of the first part of this series!
> 
> We hope you liked our revised version of events XD all feedback and comments are greatly appreciated! Stay safe, everyone! ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> For updates and extras set in this AU you can follow me on Tumblr @[zacs-of-rwby](https://zacs-of-rwby.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Thank you again for reading 🙈


End file.
